Project Directory

This task was focused on the development of a next generation computation/simulation tool that may be of use to the emerging industry. A joint effort between Cornell, Sandia, and Carnegie Mellon University, this project involved agent design as well as software development and testing.  

Research into the application of a VARPRO-based approach to modal analysis of ambient data from the power grid may improve on existing methods to estimate system damping. This would increase situational awareness of potential system instabilities.  Initial exploratory work has involved a first pass at recently acquired data, which shows promising results that warrant further investigation.  Direct application of VARPRO curve-fitting provides excellent results compared to brake-test ringdown.

The FERC-NERC ARR tool was researched, prototyped and developed for FERC for automatically broadcast daily, monthly and yearly summary, or on-demand, reports on interconnections historical load-generation resource adequacy and control performance. ARR provides summaries of key reliability metrics, statistical analysis and trends. ARR also provides the starting point for understanding and analyzing reliability performance of each interconnection, identifies reliability performance trends that require corrective action, and facilitate evaluation for reliability standards adequacy.

This project is exploring approximate optimization methods to improve security-constrained unit commitment (SCUC) by: (a) developing robust scenario-reduction methods with assessment of impact optimality of the SCUC solution; (b) including contingencies in the SCUC formulation in addition to wind uncertainty; and (c) implementing the approximate-solution method for larger systems, while maintaining reasonable solution times.

The NERC-CFER tool was researched, prototyped and developed for NERC and is part of its Frequency Response standard process. For each interconnection, using phasor and SCADA data, identifies and delivers every month candidate critical frequency events including for each event, its frequency profile and most significant performance parameters. From CFER’s monthly reports NERC reliability subcommittees select the set of events that each Balancing Authority (BA) must use to measure and report its yearly Frequency Response Obligation.

In 1999, the Department of Energy tasked CERTS to prepare a series of white papers on federal RD&D needs to maintain or enhance the reliability of the U.S. electric power system under the emerging competitive electricity market structure.

Phase II of the CERTS Microgrid Test Bed Project focused on prioritizing, developing and, as appropriate, demonstrating at bench-scale the needed additional technology enhancements required to further optimize the microgrid from the explicit perspective of enhancing the business case for microgrids. The microgrid technology enhancements that were studied included:

1. Reduction of protection costs
2. Reduction of DC storage costs
3. Inclusion of AC storage
4. Inclusion of non-inverter-based microsources

The objective of this project was to continue development of a new and efficient on-line technology and demonstration tool for monitoring and express-analysis of dynamic processes in power systems using phasor measurements to increase situation awareness and wide area visibility of the US Interconnections for system operators. Expand the methodology by building decision tree analysis methodology and by providing decision support for power grid operators and offline event analysis. 

PNNL developed building motor response tables for a given set of commercial building types with voltage variances and time frames of interest. PNNL categorized motor protection and control responses for these voltage variances and times along with energy management system control logic restart times and motor protection trip delays.

In 2015, LBNL contracted with Mitsubishi Engineering to conduct the initial phase for a sensitivity study of the composite load model. The study was coordinated with the WECC Load Modeling Task Force and involved analysis of the transmission planning models used by Pacific Gas and Electric, PacifiCorp, Salt River Project, and Southern California Edison. Subsequent phases of this study are being funded by DOE through the CERTS program. 

The objective of this activity is to develop a learning system that adequately characterizes the dynamic performance of generators, loads, and storage devices connected to the electric grid. This includes electronically coupled devices and other low-inertia or no-inertia devices with nontraditional dynamic behaviors. The ultimate value for electric system operators is to reduce the uncertainty associated with DER, renewable generation sources, and loads.

This project focused on transmission system reliability, with the aim of understanding large, cascading failure blackouts and providing tools for analyzing and monitoring their risk.  In particular, the project worked to identify the threshold that leads to increased risk of cascading failure, express this threshold in terms of realistic power system parameters and develop criteria and monitoring tools to be applied in real power transmission systems.